I read with interest the comments on the state of the barbecue site in Tai Mei Tuk, Tai Po (letter, South China Morning Post, December 10), but feel that the conclusions drawn by the students and staff of the Shung Tak Catholic English College do not identify the real culprits.
They chastise the contractors for their lack of will to clear up the mess and encourage the Government to give its support to the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, but forget to mention the single salient fact that it is the general public who are to blame for spoiling an otherwise delightful location.
If one analyses the reasons for the mess, then one is forced to conclude that the solution lies literally within reach of every citizen. Simple acts of consideration for others are able, to a great extent, to stop needless pollution of the countryside and of the general environment.
Thinking occasionally about the possible consequences of one's actions means that there is no need for remote paths to be spoiled by abandoned plastic water bottles; no need for the air to be further degraded by soot from unmaintained diesel engines and no need for Hong Kong to have so many hill fires. The list is endless.
I just hope the Government won't start picking on the poor or unemployed to pick up other people's rubbish.
RICHARD LEE Sha Tin
